What does Interpol actually do?

Interpol enables police forces worldwide to share information and coordinate against transnational crime — but it has no power to arrest, jail, or directly police anyone; its role is purely informational and coordinating.

Interpol facilitates international police cooperation by assisting member countries in sharing information and coordinating efforts to combat transnational crime, including terrorism, human trafficking, and cybercrime. Its main tools include databases on wanted persons and stolen property, as well as notice systems such as the Red Notice, which alerts member states to a wanted individual. Each country’s National Central Bureau (NCB) serves as the link between local law enforcement and Interpol’s General Secretariat. Importantly, Interpol itself has no police officers, makes no arrests, and operates no prisons — actual enforcement always remains in the hands of national authorities, who decide independently how to respond to Interpol’s requests.